Process of extracting metals from ores.



No.896,245.' v I PATENTED AUG.18,1908.

' J; H. REID.

PROCESS OF EXTRAGTING METALS PROM ORES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5,1907.

Wimesses' .lnveni'or 8 4 W JZW 1 UNITED STATES; raran'r orrica.

1 JAMES HENRY REID, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC SMELTE OF OTTAWA, GANADA, A CORPORATION OF CANADA.

PRO GESS OF EXTRAOTING METALS FROM GEES To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY REID, of

Newark, in the State of New Jersey, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Extracting Metals from Ores, of which the the objects of my invention are to provide a sim 1e and eflicient process continuously carrie out by means of which the metals of the ores may be successively dis-associated and separately recovered in their uncombined free state, from the ore.

In treating complex ores it has been the practice to recover the metals in the form of salts or other compounds which had afterwards to be suitably treated for the recovery of the metals themselves, and these treatments were frequently more costly and diflicult to carry out than the original separation.

In my process, I propose to extract the metals in their free uncombined state by causing the sublimation of each metal to occur in a vacuum and where necessary, introducing suitable agents to reduce the existing salts in the ore.

In its specific application the invention is used in combination with and is a further development of the process which I have invented and covered by my United States patent application Serial No. 365,782, filed April 1st, 1907, where there is shown a continuous process of simultaneously extracting the different elements of the ore generally in the form of salts. With the addition of this process herein described, I am enabled to simultaneously obtain the different metals from their ore in their free uncombined state at an exceedingly reduced cost.

An embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out my process is illustrated in the accompanying specifications and drawings.

The drawing shows a vertical sectional view of the apparatus.

A, B and O are the three chambers of the a paratus, discharging into each other and ffirming together a single unitary structure, the structural details of which are more fully set forth and described in my aforesaid earlier application, Serial No. 365782;

Each of the treating chambers is rovided with electrodes F and G, for heating pun poses, and nozzles H for the introduction of vacuum treating Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August}, 1907. Serial No. 387,222.

Patented Aug. 18, mos;

the li e, as hereinafter more particularly ex-* plained. The treating chambers are also each provided with outlet pi es 0,, b, and c, which lead to condensing tan s'I, which are kept partially filled with a suitable condensing liquid, such as water, which is circulated through suitable inlet and outlet pipes d and e.

' A vacuum is created within each of the chambers and in the embodimentillustrated the means used to effect this also serve to withdraw the volatile metals. com rise an exhaustinglfan J which is operative y connected to eac of the tanks by suitable conducting iping g, bafile lates f being disposed vertica y in each of t e tanks and adapted to separate the space above the lidluid into two compartments p and g, of w ich the compartment g is exhausted by the fan J and the compartment p receives the volatile metals which aredrawn down into the liquid and condensed by the vacuum created in the compartment g.

In order to insure the exclusion of air and thus prevent the formation of metallic salts or compounds, such for example, as the formation of sulfur, chlorin or co per oxid as shown in the example hereinafter given, I surround the treating chambers with casings K, L, and M, and exhaust the air from each of the casings through conducting pipes h, i, and j, which communicate with suitable exhausting means, such as the water pump N, which in the specific embodiment illustrated, comprises an outer casing k and an inner perforated tube Z, through which a column of water falls, supplied by a suitable conductor sulting in the sublimation of its different constituents. An ordinary ore will usually contain some of the elements in the form of salts. For instance, iron ore generally contains the iron in the form of an oxid, and to recover the metals in the pure state themselves, it is necessa to reduce the oxid of the com ound.- v Thls may conveniently be produce by 'the reduction of the salts by a reaient such as steam, powdered carbon or s, LIMITED,

These means chemical means. This'reduction, then, may

be readily accomplished by introducing the steam into the ore while under the action of. the arc in the first chamber, the intense-heat of the arc dissociating the same into hydrogen and oxygen, while the'heated carbon of the electrode will combine with the oxygen, leaving the hydrogen free to reduce any oxids -or salts in the ore and leaving the metal to be forced off by heat. This will leave the metals in the ore in an uncombined state and ,they

ular form on the bottom of the tank. It is essential to the o eration that the air should be entirely exclu ed and to insure the accomplishment of this, it is necessary to inclose the chambers with the casing hereinbefore describedand exhaust the air therefrom.

As a particular example of the application of the broad process hereinbefore described, I

' may describe the process as would be carried .out to extract the metals from an orecontaining'sulfur,'nickel and copper. To treat this ore the tem erature of the first chamberwould be sue as to sublime the sulfur, (about 1500 C.) This operation would be facilitated by the injection of steam into the ore, which would combine with the sulfur and pass off in the form of sulfurous acid vapor which will condense in the tank I. In the next chamber, the tem erature would be raised to, about 2000 (ll, which would be sufiicient to sublime the copper, While the vacuum produced would. prevent the formation of any oxids or other salts. The sublimed copper will then pass out and being drawn into the condensin li uid in the tank I by the operation of the an and will con-- dense and remain in granular form. During 1 the sublimation, I preferably inject steam to reduce an existing oxids. In 'the next chamber t e temperature may be raised to about '2500" 0., which will sublime the nickel, which will be, similarly condensed, in one of the tanks I.

It is evident that as many treating chambers may be added as are necessary to extract all the difierent constituents of the ore,

the tem erature of each chamber bein so adjuste that one particular metal wil be subhmed. therein, andg the whole operation being carriedout in a igacuum, whereby no salts of the metals or other compounds will,

be formed.

purpose s ecified.

of immediately consecutive 'operatlons,

' What I claim as my invention is 1. The herein described rocess of extracting metals from ores whic consists in suc-' cessivel subjecting the ore in vacuum to a series 0 different heatin operations and con densing se arately an independently the metals sublimed in each.

2. The herein described rocess of extracting metals 'from ores, whic consists in pass ing the ore through a series of separate communicating vacuum chambers having different thermal conditions in each and separatel and independently condensing the meta s sublimed in each chamber, as and for the 3. The ierein described rocess of extracting metals from ores, whic consists in subjecting the ore in vacuum to the action of a number of different electric arcs, producing difiernt temperatures, and independently and se arately condensing the metals sublimed (y each are, as and for the purpose specific 4. The herein described rocess of extracting metals from ores which consists in assing the ore through a series of treating c ambers, exhausting both the interior and exterior of the chambers, producing a different tem erature in each chamber, and se arately con ensing the metal freed in each 0 amber, as and for the purpose specifiedf 5. The herein described rocess of extracting metals from ores, whidh consists in subjecting the ore in a single furnace to a series different heating simultaneously carried out, preventing the formation of metallic compounds during each heating operation and introduc-. ing a hydrogen carrier into the ore during one of t e heatingoperations.

6. The herein described rocess of extracting metals from ores, whic consists in subjebting the ore in a single furnace to a series of imnf diately consecutive heating operations simultaneouslycarried out, creating a vacuum about'the ore durin the heating operations, and introducing a ydrogen carrier therein at the beginningof the heating operations.

7 The herein described rocess of extract ing metals from ores whic consists in sub-. 'ecting the ores in a single furnace,'to a series of immediately consecutive heating operations simultaneously carried'out,ipreventing the formation ofmetallic compounds during the heatin operation and separately exhausting t e sublimed ;metals from each heating operation, through condensing liquids, as and for the pur ose specified Signed at Ottawa, rovince of Ontario,

this 20th dayof July, 19

\ JAMES Witnesses: L

, RUssnL S. Smear, C. W. OAMERGN.

07. 1 HENRI I REID. 

